Bette Davis was on loan from Universal when she appeared in this little juvenile delinquent melodrama from independent producer B.F. Zeidman. Although Davis earned above-title billing (along with Pat O'Brien), Junior Durkin is the real… MoreBette Davis was on loan from Universal when she appeared in this little juvenile delinquent melodrama from independent producer B.F. Zeidman. Although Davis earned above-title billing (along with Pat O'Brien), Junior Durkin is the real star, a teenager who is sent to juvenile prison after being caught in a raid on a bootlegging establishment operated by Kelly (O'Brien). At juvenile hall, Jimmy befriends Shorty (Frank Coghlan Jr.), a sickly youth who is subsequently sent to solitary confinement. When it appears that Shorty will die without medical attention, Jimmy escapes and manages to contact Kelly's kindhearted girlfriend, Peggy Gardner (Davis). The latter goes to the newspapers and the resulting uproar helps change the inhuman conditions in the country's youth detentions. Unfortunately, the efforts come too late for Shorty, who has already died from the abuse.

This movie was not what I expected to see when I saw the title was hell's house. I thought it would be a horror movie, but it is a serious drama about… MoreThis movie was not what I expected to see when I saw the title was hell's house. I thought it would be a horror movie, but it is a serious drama about young men in prison. It's okay if that's the kind of movie you want to see.

jay nixon

Poverty row quickie, shot in less than two weeks, is more a curio than anything else. The print is in terrible condition and the whole thing is overly earnest… MorePoverty row quickie, shot in less than two weeks, is more a curio than anything else. The print is in terrible condition and the whole thing is overly earnest but an impossibly young Bette Davis looks great and while not really given much to do is still full of intensity and star quality. Otherwise Pat O'Brien does well as a slimeball who turns out to have at least a shred of decency. And Uncle Henry from the Wizard of Oz pops up as an Uncle Henry here too.

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